I was recently talking to some new players and I found I couldnt answer their questions exactly on the subject of AC.
Maybe the rest of you can clear it up for me and them.
What exactly does AC do? (help with blocking? Dodging? Damage reduction?)
Whats the cap on AC (obviously relevant to characters race/class)
Cheers
I believe it is a saves throw for damage based on blunt, slash, pierce, and magic damage.
In my experience, AC helps with damage reduction and the chance for your opponent to 'miss'.
I can't see any sort of cap, per se, but I'm sure AC gives diminishing returns at some point. I would assume the difference between 0 and -200 would be far greater than -200 to -400.
I believe someone once quoted Virigoth and stated that ac gives diminishing returns after -400.
Though -500 is still insanely awesome... Unless your fighting an Invoker mutter
Though yeah, it aids in damage reduction, chance to "miss," and -blunt aids versus lagging attacks like bash. (or so they say)
I wonder how large of an objection I would get if I just grep the entire codebase for the AC lookup and list every single affect it has, heh.
A Huge...
Basically AC in combat goes like this:
-1) You have a THAC0 roll thing akin to D&D.
This appears to be based on Hitroll and level.
You can notice this at low levels when the mobs cannot even hit you trough your high AC.
They will fail and give automatic 0 damage.
This at 50 rarely happens unless you fighting a Halfling Communer.
-2) You also experience a damage reduction when hit, based on your AC on meele attacks.
-3) AC also helps avoid certain skills like bash and bodyslam.
-4) It helps your invocker land higher damage by Call Lightning on that poor Drow Cleric that has high AC.
Basicaly the sky is the limit on AC and i think no character will ever have enuff AC to say he has max AC. But he will experience diminished returns trying to get there. Followed by almost invulnerability near the peak.
By the way, the max that i have heard in AC was -800 AC, and that still has a lot to go. Personaly i think -400 AC is very good. And -500 AC is great to Solo mobs with a healer. But 250-300 AC is nice for a Paladin or other Character.
I vaguely remember Behren's posting some ridiculous AC, Svs Hit/dam he had on Corim back in the day, from what I remember the AC was in the region of -1000 across the board.
Crusaders are capable of having purely insane AC to the point where it's pretty much impossible to melee them down.
-1) You have a THAC0 roll thing akin to D&D.
No, no, no. There has been no To Hit Armor Class 0 (THACO) in D&D for nearly ten years.
Tsk, tsk. You are the Queen of Misinformation. 
d20 system > d10 system
d20 is pure filth. Why would anyone need anymore than one die to play a game? d6. Westend Games Behold perfection.
a-g
It also makes you harder to hit (not just as in "missing") by helping your defenses, although I don't know which ones. If you have like -450, you're pretty hard to hit.
d20 is pure filth. Why would anyone need anymore than one die to play a game? d6. Westend Games Behold perfection.
a-g
I like showing off my huge dice-bag.
What you like to show off is no business of ours. Do that on your own time...
I like showing off my huge dice-bag.
So long as it's an old crown royal bag....
a-g
Oh my god...that's weird, since a buddy who plays dnd in our little group carries around his dice in a crown royal bag.
d20 is pure filth. Why would anyone need anymore than one die to play a game? d6. Westend Games Behold perfection.
a-g
oh come on. have you seen the DnD 4th ed preview? **** HOT. I just need to find a group to play with. I'm pretty sure asking to play DnD in the military will get your *** kicked though, and the local population only speaks gibberish. SOL I guess.
2nd edition DnD was awesome. 3rd was okay. 4th? Pfft. I don't want to have to keep buying supplement manuals and changing rules to feel like the game I'm playing is relevant with the current world.
2nd edition DnD was awesome. 3rd was okay. 4th? Pfft. I don't want to have to keep buying supplement manuals and changing rules to feel like the game I'm playing is relevant with the current world.
4th ed is a big step forward for the game. the restructuring of spells into 'at will', 'per encounter', and 'daily' powers alone makes 4th ed a big improvement over previous editions. no more wizards hiding around because you've already fought a couple encounters and he's used up all his spells and is essentially useless until the next day.
'Thats always been how wizards are though. That's why it sucks being a low level mage, but once you get up in the levels you're pretty much unstoppable.
